By: Kyle Auger

Sports Editor

The spirit rally was last Friday and was received with mixed, but mostly negative reviews, including mine. I thought the rally was a complete letdown.

The spirit rally is an age-old tradition dating back for decades, and has declined in excitement recently, starting with the feared senior entrance. This is always the most exciting part, when the other classes sit on the field looking timid while the seniors charge the field while playing intimidating music and driving a truck wearing all-black face paint.

However this year’s entrance was nothing like that image; it looked more like a spread out group of kids running, winded from having to navigate around the fence, looking much less than fearsome. The music was also missing in action; even with the speakers right next to me, I could barely hear the announcer and the music.

Although the entrance was pretty disheartening, it was only the tip of the iceberg. Another part of this compound mistake was the venue of the event, which normally takes place on the football field, which felt like something of a gladiatorial arena. The small side field used for this year’s event felt tiny, and like the whole thing was just pushed off to the side.

I could see why administration was tentative about holding the event on the new turf in which they  just invested hundreds of thousands of dollars, but I think everyone would have rather had no truck entrance and have the football field instead of having a bad venue, and driving one truck that nobody saw.

Now, the day of the spirit rally is supposed to be the senior’s “day in the sun”, so to speak, and I personally can handle a little water being splashed on me. However every student was told that if they had a bag it would be promptly searched, adding to the negativity.

I understand the school is trying to protect the safety of the students by banning signs, but if, say, the school still checked bags, and perhaps gave each senior a single water balloon, everyone is happy, students stay safe and seniors get their glory. This glory has been earned by seniors after struggling through three years of looking up and planning for their senior class.

The disappointment didn’t just end with the end of the competition, when the seniors ritually run to the middle of the field and celebrate, however teachers just circled and told everyone to return to class. But still  administration wonders why people came running through the hallways silly string-ing unfortunate underclassmen. Obviously the students at large are frustrated with the complete transformation this school has been going through.

More and more proposals by student council officers get shot down without receiving a reason; it seems like we have no power in our school. It seems like the classic situation of government without representation of the common people, and there is nothing to do to make our high school experience even a little more pleasurable.

The rally was just a symbol for the general movement within the school, where everything seems to becoming more orderly, more politically correct, and less fun. I also get the fact that some of the changes were pressed on the school by various sources, but I think students should have some part in the process of making rules, or at least making compromises.

Most plausible forms of persuasion, like petitions and essays and letters were used, and none were even acknowledged, so maybe it’s time for something more radical to show that students are sick of being pushed around.  I’m just trying to present my opinion, but if someone wants to make a difference, it’s their time to step up and lead.